For the first time since I entered the Tower, I am truly impressed. The Fifth Floor is breathtaking.
The room itself has to be a quarter-mile high. One giant light orb floats near the ceiling and is so bright the whole room is well lit. Everything is made of red brick.
We enter onto a square platform that's about thirty yards across. The platform ends in a drop-off on both sides. About fifty yards down from the platform is water. It appears very deep too.
A stairway, wide enough for three to walk comfortably side by side, starts at the end of the platform across from the door. They attach to the top of a large round pillar, but we can't make out what is on the top of the pillar. The pillar is so wide, we can't see past it either.
We all just look at each other. I shrug.
"Woah..." Brick says, totally astonished.
"I guess we go up." I lead the way. Nothing has ever felt as suspenseful as walking up those stairs. With each step I take, I feel more and more pressure. It feels like I'm walking down into deeper water even though we are walking upwards. It takes us almost twenty-five minutes to scale the stairs because of the pressure, which bursts when we reach the top.
Once again, the first thing that draws my attention is the golden door. It is up another story of stairs that starts on the other side of the pillar. A giant chest sits on the platform between the stairs and the door. It is trimmed in iron and heavily engraved.
This floor is a Boss Floor. The boss monsters at the end of other floors had just been a really strong version of other monsters seen so far. A Boss Floor monster is on a different level it seems.
An Ogre stands in the middle of the round platform between us and the stairs. The male Ogre is dressed in a large leather loincloth. He's propped up on a club of wood that had to have been a large tree at one time. I can see the circles that show where limbs were cut off. The Ogre has one eye and dry, cracked lips. His ears are small holes on the side of his bald head. The complexion of his skin is dusty grey.
Gunther; Level 10
His health bar has a golden crown above it that's worn by a cracked skull.
"A Named Boss? On Level Five?" Brick sounds confused, not scared.
"Everyone, get ready. This is going to be rough." I exclaim as I draw my sword. The party surrounds me; their weapons are drawn.
Brick holds up one hand. "One sec." A window opens before him. He pushes a few buttons that we couldn't see then it snaps shut. "Okay, ready." He says, lowering into a tank stance.
"Lead the way." I extend my hand towards Gunther and bow slightly to Brick.
Brick bellows a challenging war cry. Waves of energy explode from his body then he charges the Ogre.
YOU ARE READING
Path To Radiance; First Ascent
FantasyHow did I end up here? In this game where pain and death are real? Where the only thing worse than dying is being resurrected. Where I can't logout. Now, we are expected to climb this tower full of monsters that will "Lead to Radiance", or somethin...
